Apps and Resources for the Traveling Vegan

Whether you’re at home or abroad, a huge number of apps and online resources can easily help you track down delicious vegan meals. Learn your “Jeg er veganer” (Danish) from your “Eu sou vegan” (Portuguese), and pick up some tips from the vegan travelers who have gone before you with the following resources:

• Happy Cow: An adaptation of the premier online vegetarian- and vegan-friendly restaurant guide, Happy Cow has its very own handy app. Using your smartphone’s location service, it can display restaurants with vegetarian and vegan options by proximity and also allows you to search by address, zip code, or category. It also lists details about each venue, including price range, location, and contact details as well as reviews from other users. Write your own reviews, rate the restaurants, upload photos, and easily share your finds across your social-networking sites.
• Vegetarious: Similar to Happy Cow, Vegetarious allows you to find nearby vegan and vegetarian restaurants, based on popularity, rating, and distance. You can see what dishes other people have enjoyed and keep a list of your favorite places as well as post your own check-ins and photos.
• VeganXpress: Whip this one out to learn what the vegan options are at popular chain restaurants and fast-food outlets. It also features listings of vegan beer, wine, liquor, and convenience foods.
• Locavore: This social app keeps you updated on what to eat locally, including which foods are in season in your area, where to find the nearest farmer’s market, and how to cook your finds. It’s not strictly vegan but is nevertheless a helpful guide to picking up fresh local produce.
• Vegan Food Is Everywhere: Add your vegan favorites to this worldwide map for others to find when they’re in the area.
• V-Cards: The good folks over at MaxLearning have compiled vegan flash cards with key phrases to help you out in a staggering 68 different languages. Smartphone users can download a PDF to access offline or simply print off and keep handy.

These apps and services showcase a growing international vegan community, which you can now easily get information about, and also give you the opportunity to explore exciting local tastes while keeping your cruelty-free cool. Now that’s a pretty good travel buddy. Bon courage, and safe travels!

Posted by PETA Asia intern Liselle Finlay